Oh! If only you were wise...

OWLAND HILL illustrated the folly of sinners by the story of a butcher who was followed by the swine right into the slaughterhouse. As pigs are not usually in the mind to go where they are wanted, it seemed a mystery how these animals were so eager to follow their executioner; but when it was seen that he wisely carried a bag of pease and beans with which he enticed the creatures onward, the riddle was solved at once. Unsuspicious of impending death the hogs cared only for the passing gratification of their appetites, and hastened to the slaughter—and in the same manner ungodly men follow the great enemy of souls down through the jaws of hell, merely because their depraved passions are pleased with the lusts of the flesh and the pleasures of sin which the devil gives them by handfuls on the road. Alas, that there should be such likeness between men and swine!
The joys of sin are so short and so unsatisfactory, that they can never be thought of for a moment as a fitting inducement for a rational being to lose his immortal soul. Will a few hours' foolery, gambling, drinking, or wantoning, compensate for eternal fire? Is the momentary indulgence of a base passion worth the endurance of flames which never can be quenched? To moan in vain for a drop of water! to be tormented by the never dying worm! to be shut out from hope for ever! to be eternally cursed of God! Is any sin worth all this? Can any gain make up for this? O ye who delight in the poisonous sweets of sin, remember that though pleasant in the mouth for the moment, sin will be as wormwood and gall in your bowels for ever. Why will ye swallow the bait when you know that the hook is there? Why will ye be lured by the Satanic fowler? Surely in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird; but you are more foolish than the birds and fly into the snare when you know it to be there. O that ye were wise, and would consider your latter end. Let that one word Eternity ring in your ears and drive out the giddy laughter of worldlings who prefer the present joys of sense. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life by Jesus Christ." Jesus receiveth sinners. Go to him and he will in no wise cast you out.

Wiser than most theologians today

WO learned doctors are angrily discussing the nature of food, and allowing their meal to lie untasted, while a simple countryman is eating as heartily as he can of that which is set before him. The religious world is full of quibblers, critics, and sceptics, who, like the doctors, fight over Christianity without profit either to themselves or others; those are far happier who imitate the farmer and feed upon the Word of God, which is the true food of the soul. Luther's prayer was, "From nice questions the Lord deliver us." Questioning with honesty and candour is not to be condemned, when the object is to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good;" but to treat revelation as if it were a football to be kicked from man to man is irreverence, if not worse. Seek the true faith, by all manner of means, but do not spend a whole life in finding it, lest you be like a workman who wastes the whole day in looking for his tools. Hear the true Word of God; lay hold upon it, and spend your days not in raising hard questions, but in feasting upon precious truth.
It is, no doubt, very important to settle the point of General or Particular Redemption; but for unconverted men, the chief matter is to look to the Redeemer on the cross with the eye of faith. Election is a doctrine about which there is much discussion, but he who has made his election sure, finds it a very sweet morsel. Final perseverance has been fought about in all time; but he who by grace continues to rest in Jesus to the end, knows the true enjoyment of it. Reader, argue, if you please, but remember that believing in the Lord Jesus gives infinitely more enjoyment than disputing can ever afford you. If you are unsaved, your only business is with the great command, "Believe!" and even if you have passed from death unto life, it is better to commune with Jesus than to discuss doubtful questions. When Melancthon's mother asked him what she must believe amidst so many disputes, he, knowing her to be trusting to Jesus in a simple-hearted manner, replied, "Go on, mother, to believe and pray as you have done, and do not trouble yourself about controversy." So say we to all troubled souls, "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him."

Sword & the Trowel

T is by the grace of God that ungodly men are preserved from instant death. The sharp axe of justice would soon fell the barren tree if the interceding voice of Jesus did not cry, "Spare him yet a little." Many sinners, when converted to God, have gratefully acknowledged that it was of the Lord's mercy that they were not consumed. John Bunyan had three memorable escapes before his conversion, and mentions them in his "Grace Abounding" as illustrious instances of long-suffering mercy. Occasionally such deliverances are made the means of affecting the heart with tender emotions of love to God, and grief for having offended him. Should it not be so? Ought we not to account that the longsuffering of God is salvation? (2 Peter 3:15.) An officer during a battle was struck by a nearly spent ball near his waistcoat pocket, but he remained uninjured, for a piece of silver stopped the progress of the deadly missile. The coin was marked at the words DEI GRATIA (by the grace of God). This providential circumstance deeply impressed his mind, and led him to read a tract which a godly sister had given him when leaving home. God blessed the reading of the tract, and he became, through the rich grace of God, a believer in the Lord Jesus.
Reader, are you unsaved? Have you experienced any noteworthy deliverances? Then adore and admire the free grace of God, and pray that it may lead you to repentance! Are you enquiring for the way of life? Remember the words DEI GRATIA, and never forget that by grace we are saved. Grace always pre-supposes unworthiness in its object. The province of grace ceases where merit begins: what a cheering word is this to those of you who have no worth, no merit, no goodness whatever! Crimes are forgiven, and follies are cured by our Redeemer out of mere free favour. The word grace has the same meaning as our common term gratis: Wickliffe's prayer was, "Lord save me gratis" No works can purchase or procure salvation, but the heavenly Father giveth freely, and upbraideth not.
Grace comes to us through faith in Jesus. Whosoever believeth on Him is not condemned. O, sinner, may God give thee grace to look to Jesus and live. Look now, for to-day is the accepted time!

America worst than ever!

America's new low- women sent to fight

Outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense is announcing a lifting of the ban on women in combat today or tomorrow.This is a move being cheered by many who insist the ages old practice of not allowing women to fight on the front lines of battle is a violation of equal rights.

I am of the persuasion that it is part of God's design that men be protectors of women (and children), so the notion of sending women to fight national battles offends me.  More bluntly- even serious consideration about putting our mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters on the front line of battle is an indicator of a culture teetering on the edge of destruction.

I am not saying women cannot serve in the military in some way, but rather they should not be sent in to combat.  The picture above is "Rosie the Riveter", celebrating the integral contribution of women in WWII where they were responsible for constructing many of the military vehicles and planes used in Europe against the Nazi's and Japan. There are plenty of biblical arguments about women not being formally charged with defending a nation or sent to combat (there are some cases where woman is called to "save the day", but these are clearly exceptions usually due to weak, unfaithful men).  John Piper has said quite a bit on this subject.  He really lays it out there when he said-

"If I were the last man on the planet to think so, I would want the honor of saying no woman should go before me into combat to defend my country. A man who endorses women in combat is not pro-woman; he’s a wimp. He should be ashamed. For most of history, in most cultures, he would have been utterly scorned as a coward to promote such an idea. Part of the meaning of manhood as God created us is the sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of our women."

Adding to this, Piper wrote later-

"My whole position assumes that competencies and character are not the criteria for who fights the enemy. Women may be more courageous than men in any given situation. They may have nobler vision. They may be smarter. That is not the issue. What God has written on our hearts and designed for our survival and our joy is the issue. Manhood puts itself forward between the women and the enemy. That is part of what manhood means. That is who we are by God’s design. The courage of women will show itself in a hundred ways. But when a man is around, he will not exploit that courage to fight the battle where he belongs."

Lots of new lows for America these past several years.

Challenge to the Church

Martin Luther King's Challenge to the Church

My favorite section of Martin Luther King's famed 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail" is a challenge to the Church.  He chides the Church for it's lack of leadership and voice against the oppressive racism of the day. He reminds us of the historic bravery of the Church as agents of change regarding wicked practices.

This letter was written before abortion was legalized in the U.S., but I think it's safe to say what Martin Luther King would say about the treatment of the most oppressed people in our current culture- the unborn.

There was a time when the church was very powerful–in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" and "outside agitators." But the Christians pressed on, in the conviction that they were "a colony of heaven," called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, they were big in commitment. They were too God intoxicated to be "astronomically intimidated." By their effort and example they brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contests.

The Sin of Ecumenicism thrives in America

ROMAN CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT CHURCHES SIGN AGREEMENT RECOGNIZING EACH OTHER’S BAPTISMS
 

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Jan 31, 2013 in AM Missives, Current Issues, Features, Roman Catholicism

With the following piece by Christian Post reporter Michael Gryboski Apprising Ministries now brings you yet another pathetic example of the sinful ecumenicism that’s slithering throughout largely pretending to be Protestant Christendom today.
Now, we’d expect this from the dead mainline denominations referenced below but I’ve also shown you the nauseating examples of major evangelical figures as well in Timothy George Addresses Roman Catholic Synod As “Brothers” And Pope As “Holy Father.”
Then just the other day we saw Rick Warren And His Brother, “His Eminence” Timothy Cardinal Dolan Archbishop Of New York. In Catholic, Protestant Churches Sign Historic Baptism Agreement Gryboski tells us:

Leaders representing the Roman Catholic Church and some American Protestant denominations have signed an agreement in Texas to recognize each other’s baptisms.
After about six years of dialogue, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Reformed Church in America, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and the United Church of Christ signed a document recognizing each other’s liturgical rites of baptism.
The five denominations signed the “Common Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Baptism,” affirming the baptism agreement on Tuesday evening at a prayer service held at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin.
“Together we affirm that, by the sacrament of Baptism, a person is truly incorporated into the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13 and 27; Ephesians 1:22-23), the church. Baptism establishes the bond of unity existing among all who are part of Christ’s body and is therefore the sacramental basis for our efforts to move towards visible unity,” reads the document.
“We rejoice at the common faith we share and affirm in this document. We understand that the journey toward full, visible unity depends on openness to the grace of God and humility before the initiatives of God’s Spirit among us.” (source)

O yes, it sounds so very pious; does it not? The “grace of God and humility before the initiatives of God’s Spirit among us.” Why, who’s against “the bond of unity existing among all who are part of Christ’s body,” moving toward “visible unity” with other Christians, and sharing our “common faith?”
No one I know; and certainly not me, personally. However, as a Christian I have no unity with the apostate Roman Catholic Church because, by condemning God’s Gospel in favor of its non-gospel of sacramental works-righteousness, it placed itself outside the Body of Christ under the anathema of God.
This is the critical issue that people in our time just don’t seem to understand: If the Roman Catholic Church is now to be considered as merely another Christian denomination within the Body of Christ then the Protestant Reformation was not of God. In other words, it was wrong; sinful, and should never have happened.
Dr. Ron Rhodes gets to the heart of the matter when he tells us, “One of the greater challenges in engaging in discussions with Roman Catholics involves the issue of salvation.” He goes on to explain, “Certainly Catholics deny that their Church teaches a works salvation.” He then hits the target dead on:

[Roman Catholics] will talk about how their salvation is impossible apart from the grace of God. But though things start out by grace in the Roman Catholic system of salvation,…works do indeed get mixed into the picture. By virtue of the fact that a life of meritorious works is necessary to gain final salvation, it is clear that in reality the Roman Catholic view of salvation is works-oriented.1

This is another gospel, plain and simple; and in His inspired Scripture God Himself has already told us how He feels about such a matter:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)

Truely Terrifying! When Unbelievers "teach" others the Word

BIBLICAL REFUTATION OF EVANGELICAL PASTOR JOHN MARK COMER’S POLYTHEISM

By Ken Silva pastor-teacher on Jan 30, 2013  

As Apprising Ministries continues watching the implosion of evangelicalism, I can tell you that much of its recent apostasy can be traced to the Emerging Church aka the postmodern liberal cult of the Emergent Church.
Circa 2000 evangelical churches began exposing their Young Adult and Youth Groups to “alternative services” e.g. using the warped and toxic teachings of the dubious duo of the EC, Doug Pagitt and his cohort Tony Jones.
A few years ago in Emergent Wolves Enter Your Sheep Pens Through Youth Groups I dealt with a question I’ve often been asked: How is it that the Emerging Church finds its way into our local evangelical churches?
EC pastor Dan Kimball tells you when he writes:

The staff at one church in rural Oklahoma…fully believed they needed to start making changes in the way they worshipped in order to be in line with the emerging culture and emerging generations…
These staff members were afraid, however, to try anything too radical. After all, they served in a very conservative Baptist church…they started by slowly adding a few things to their youth meetings. They corporately read ancient creeds and prayers.
They lit candles and had times of silent prayer. They allowed the youth to paint during a worship time. They practiced lectio divina or “sacred reading,” the ancient practice of prayerful meditation on Scripture. Not all at once, but little by little they added these elements of worship to their existing meetings…
It was a huge step for them…the staff are planning to have monthly emerging worship gathering for youth (and adults of any age who want to come)… Eventually the church wants to turn the monthly worship gathering into a weekly one.1

Fuller Theological Seminary professor Tony Jones, Emerging Church pastor Doug Pagitt’s friend and progressive/liberal “theologian in residence,” then adds:

It’s no mistake that many of the emergent leaders were formerly youth workers. Church-based youth ministry is a fertile training ground for so much that is emergent: risk-taking, entrepreneurialism, pushing boundaries, getting in trouble , staying up-to-date on culture, etc. All of this has influenced the genesis of emergent. (source, smiley face his)

Now that you understand how the Emerging Church slithered into acceptance, here’s what this all has to do with John Mark Comer and his teaching polytheism this month in a Seeker Driven, ostensibly evangelical, church.
A core doctrine of the EC was corrupt Counter Reformation Contemplative Spirituality/Mysticism (CSM), which viciously attacks the proper Christian spirituality of sola Scriptura. It’s a deadly combination with postmodernity.
Under its cover satanic forces sowed confusion within the various younger sectors of Christendom as to whether one can trust that we can come to understand what the Bible means and what cardinal doctrines of the faith are.
As a result, people decide issues by their feelings—if they take a position at all—because they’re wary of anyone claiming to know the absolute truths taught in God’s Word. So, over the past decade now, almost anything goes.
From this vantage point of the battlefield then, you’ll better be able to understand how pastor John Mark Comer can stand in an evangelical pulpit and preach polytheism with barely a reaction since we’ve brought it to light.
You can see above that Comer is “Pastor of A Jesus church” in Portland, Oregon. It’s actual name is Solid Rock Church; a multi-site organization with a membership of some 7,000 on a given Sunday:

(source)

While still largely under the radar until now, John Mark Comer is a published author recommended by the likes of Gerry Breshears of Western Seminary, who also co-authored many books with New Calvinist Mark Driscoll.2
Comer’s book is called My Name Is Hope and is endorsed by Dr. Breshears, whom Comer refers to as his friend in the sermon in question:

(source)

I’ve pointed out before I’ve been in the ministry fields of counter-cult evangelism, apologetics and Comparative Religion for nearly thirty years. One of the first things I would run into was Mormon Missionaries at my door.
Mormon prophet Lorenzo Snow taught in 1840, ”As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.”3 If so, you should be able to see by this Mormon mythology that, quite obviously, we’re dealing with a pantheon of gods.
In closing this, for now, here’s a good succinct definition of polytheism, “The belief in a multitude of distinct and separate deities [i.e. gods].”4 Now, this is a critical point: Polytheism is simply the belief in more than one god.
Whether someone worships all, or any, of them is irrelevant. If you believe that more than one god exists, you are a polytheist, period; and polytheism has never been a part of the theology of Judaism or of the Christian faith.
With this understood, I draw to your attention Seeker-Driven Pastor Brings Polytheism into the Mainstream by Christian Research Network associate editor Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised… She’s right as she says:

It is shocking to think, then, that the pagan idea of polytheism would ever begin to creep into mainstream evangelicalism. Yet such a transgression recently was committed by John Mark Comer, pastor of Solid Rock Church in Portland, Oregon.
On 13 January 2013, Comer taught a sermon entitled, “Yahweh Elohim” from the text of Exodus 34:6. A few excerpts from this sermon may be heard below:

SEE VIDEO HERE!

As is clear from the clip above, Comer states in no uncertain terms his belief that the pagan gods of the Old Testament were actual deities, albeit lesser ones than the Lord. (source)

So it’s clear John Mark Comer is a polytheist; and, as a matter of fact, Comer even teaches in this same sermon that the LORD God Almighty—the one true and living God of the Bible—actually created these lesser deities.
Here’s a quick glimpse of who is actually behind this teaching by Comer. One of these other gods would be Satan, which would then make his errant, prideful, boast true — ‘I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:14).
However, if there was one verse alone in the Bible to refute the pagan mythology of polytheism it would have to be Isaiah 43:10, where God reveals to us in no uncertain terms:

“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. (Isaiah 43:10)

Sadly, such is the time we live in where—despite the clear teaching of Scripture—someone like John Mark Comer is teaching polytheism in mainstream Christendom. Against this backdrop I now leave you with the following:

Chris Rosebrough of Fighting for the Faith refutes John Mark Comer’s Polytheism

LINK for audio here!